


Dreamscape

by RumbleFish14



Category: Seal Team/Real Person Fiction
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Anal Sex, Developing Relationship, Domestic Violence, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gay Male Character, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Oral Sex, Past Relationship(s), Running Away, Smut, Teasing, Vaginal Fingering, real person fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 20:52:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14985347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RumbleFish14/pseuds/RumbleFish14
Summary: Kat Quinn is on the run with her friend Ryan, trying to escape an abusive relationship when she runs into someone she never thought she'd see again. The love of her life...or was until he up and left her with a broken heart. Kat must evade one man and hope she doesn't get caught in the web of another one...





	1. The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> This one came to me in a dream lol and it will not go away until I take a crack out of it as a short story. Please let me know how you like it and if it should be continued...
> 
> THANKS

Okay this is a new short story I started. It came in pieces in a dream I had and unless I write it, it won’t go away lol so I hope you enjoy & maybe would be interested in reading more…

 

Dreamscape  
Part One

For about the millionth time in just under an hour, Kat looked back in the rear view mirror. The road was as clear as the weather in Oregon would allow; just enough visibility not to run off the road but not enough to tell if they were being followed. It had been only under half an hour when Kat packed her duffle bag as quickly as possible, grabbed the keys to her older than dirt 1996 Toyota Camry; with more problems than it was worth, bolted 5 miles down the road to collect her “better half” and they hit the road 5 minutes later.

This was not their normal Friday evening. Normal consisted of multiple bottles of wine, curled into each other on the couch with a too many calories pizza and 90’s horror movies. And no, her better half, as she liked to call him, were not fucking. He didn’t swing her way. Gay wouldn’t do him justice, he was all out gay; no shame, all smiles and she loved him as a best friend would. Their plans had been to do just that, veg out and gossip. Unfortunately before Ryan could get there, due had an unexpected visitor. Bring in the ex of all ex's. The ones you had to pack and move away from. 

Kat had left Jax years ago. Up and left him in the middle of the night for being abusive and a total asshole. The black eye she was sporting right now was thanks to him thinking she was fucking Ryan, as if. She managed to lock him in the basement before taking off like a bat outta hell. She had left Ryan at the local grocery store to get cash out of her (Jax's) bank account and a few things for the road, but Jax was able to spot her car out of a million. She was forced to drive off and lose him before circling back. 

Gripping the wheel until her knuckles turned white, Kat pulled in front of the store and all but pulled Ryan into the seat by the collar of his very sparkly shirt and hit the gas. He was thrown back as they sped away and she could hear the mumble of colorful curse words tumble out of his mouth.

“You crazy bitch!” Ryan muttered.

Kat smiled as she watched him checking that award winning hair in the mirror and took off down the dark two lane road into the woodsier part of town. “Easy princess, your hair wouldn’t move even if a tornado hit us.” 

Ryan squared his slender shoulders. “I thought you’d wait outside.”

“I was but he can pick my car out of a line up and I had to lose him.” Kat glared back and checked the mirror again; just an empty street.

“Has anyone ever told you what bad taste in men you have?” he asked bluntly.

“You have, many times.” She barked back. Her next comment was muted by the ever present sounds of her cars guts threatening to fall out the bottom of her car. The clanking and rattling were always there but now there was a high pitched whining sound and a weird hiss that sounded like a pissed off cat.

“Poor baby.”

“Poor baby?” Kat scuffed and pulled the car off on a heavily worn dirty road right off the side of the road. “I have put so much money into this POS and still she runs like shit.”

“That’s true.” Ryan smiled his overly happy smile.

Laughing was her only option to that smile. Kat shut off the car and steam started to rise from the hood. Cursing, she leaned back and closed her eyes, praying for a little luck. “We don’t have time for this. He was right behind us.”

“I’m sure he gave up by now. He knows you’ll always go back to him.”

“Not this time.” She checked her slighly swollen eye in the mirror. It was turning an awful shade of purple and it burned. “I’m done looking like this Ry, it’s not right.”

He sighed heavily. “No, it’s not. Guess we better pack light and hope to catch a ride before it really gets dark.”

“Just walk?” She asked with a stunned expression. 

“No other choice babe. He either finds us or we walk.”

The ultimatum didn’t sit well with her, choices that involved “either or” never did. After cursing up a storm, Kat tossed her keys on the dash and exited the car. Her bag was packed full of random shit she didn’t need and by the time they were ready to walk, it barely weighed 5 pounds. A few band t-shirts, 3 pairs of faded blue jeans and panties was all she was left with. All she really needed anyways. Ryan had taken 3 bags, mostly of shoes and make-up. He’d rather go naked then have no make-up on; priorities. At least he had a few left. 

s Ryan slammed the door hard; having been forced to leave a suitcase behind, it started to pour down rain. Not sprinkles, not in Oregon. This was more like a Tsunami from above. The rain was so thick you couldn’t see an inch in front of your face. Ryan whined and covered his hair as Kat just stood there, arms spread wide and eyes closed as she looked up. Surely God was pissing on them right now. Karma was a bitch. Her self pity act was suddenly interrupted by the loud rumbling sound of Jax's truck barreling down the road. They exchanged looks and scattered for the tree line. Kat threw her and Ryan’s bags into a ditch and forced him to press closely to the muddy bank so they wouldn’t be seen. 

The rumbling stopped and Kat had to cover Ryan’s mouth with her hand before he could ask. Jax had exited the truck and was probably checking her car. Ryan’s green eyes were wide as he looked all around but all she could do was shake her head and grit her teeth. The rain muted all sounds but she knew he was searching the nearby areas for her. As long as they didn’t move and Ryan didn’t react to his entire body being pressed in the mud they would be fine. A few moments passed with them staring at each other before the truck started up again, making them jump and take a deep breath at the same time. When the rumble was quiet enough to tell them he was down the road, she released his mouth and tiredly leaned against the bank. Adrenaline pumped through her body, making her hands shake and her teeth clatter together. Ryan wad shaking and trying to judge the damage to his clothes when she stood up, coast was clear.

“Well, that was a close one.” Ryan said as the rain began to die down enough to be heard. 

“Too close,” Kat sighed heavily and tried to squeeze the water from her shorts. “Told ya he wouldn’t just give up.”

“Yeah, no shit.” He replied with a shitty attitude.

Kat let out a watery chuckle. Sounding something between a choked up sob and a giggle. Crying wouldn’t help right now. They needed to find somewhere to stay until the storm passed or find a phone. Heaving the duffle bag over one shoulder, she grabbed one of Ryan’s bags and slowly made their way out of the ditch. 

“Ugh…so much mud!” 

Kat shook her head and helped him up the hill. “Come on, I think that worn out road was the start of a driveway.”

“Uh, so. How does knowing that help us?” he snapped in a pissy tone.

Kat rolled her eyes. “Because we need to find a phone and get out of this damn rain. Unless you wanna sleep in a car, get your skinny ass up the hill.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Only you would.” She smiled as he followed her back to the worn out road that seemed to last a lifetime. 

By the time they came upon a rather beautiful, rustic cabin, all the light left in the sky had gone black. Leaving them soaked to the bone and cold. The cabin looked safe enough, homey even but a little odd. The front had a swing set with a slide, a kids blue bike off to the side, toy soldiers stuck into a muddy hole. In the back, was a fenced in area that looked like a junk yard. Full of car parts and machine parts, tools littered the area. But no car in the driveway and no lights on. No one was home at the moment. 

“Should I have to tell you what this looks like?”

Kat rolled her eyes and set the bags down against the back of the house. “No, you don’t.”

“Well, alls I’m gonna say, is that if a man with a hockey mask comes after us, I’m tripping you and getting away.”

The snarky, fruity tone was enough to make her smile. “We do watch too many horror movies.” She thought the place looked rather inviting. Obviously a child lived here, more than likely with a man of some sort judging by the amount of car shit collected. “It looks safe enough. We don’t really have an option.”

“Fine, but you have to knock.” 

That didn’t surprise her. She left Ryan to lean against the house while she loudly knocked on the backdoor. No sound came from inside. No dogs barking or footsteps, no talking. Just silence. She knocked again, louder this time and still nothing but the harder she knocked, made the door open slightly. 

“Hello?” Kat called hesitantly. All she got back was silence.

“No one home?”

Glancing back at Ryan, she shook her head. “No, but the door wasn’t locked so maybe whoever lives here will be back soon.”

Or at least she hoped they would. It was only a matter of time before Jax did a more thorough look around and the cabin wasn’t too far from the road. She didn’t want to get anyone else involved with her shit, she already did that to Ryan. Look where that got him.

“Who the hell doesn’t lock their doors anyways?”

“A trusting person I suppose.” Kat said back, not really listening as she peeked inside. From what she could see, the place did look as homey as it seemed on the outside. 

“Go in.”

Kat shot him a glare. “I’m not just gonna break in.”

“Oh don’t be a sissy. This wouldn’t be the first time and we need to use the phone.”

He was right, this wouldn’t be the first time but this just seemed odd to her for some reason. But they did need a phone. “Wuss. Stay here.” Kat ignored his bitchy comment and lightly made her way inside. The kitchen was the closest room and the phone was in her sights. Looking back and forth into the dark house, Kat slowly reached for the phone, when someone grabbed her wrist tightly and pushed her face first against the wall, her arm wrenched painfully between her shoulders.

Kat hissed and kept as still as she could as the person at her back pressed hard against her. She could tell in an instant that it was a man and judging by how still he held her, he was strong. The only thing she could do was breathe shallowly and keep as still as possible. Stupid Ryan, this had been a big mistake.

“You have one chance to explain why you’re in my house.” A deep voice grumbled.

Kat actually had to shove down the moan that about bubbled from her throat. Now was not the time to be turned on. But it was hard to listen to reason with a voice like that growling in her ear. His voice was as smooth aa silky and as rough as sandpaper all rolled into a velvet lined touch that made her tremble. She had to clear her throat twice before she was able to answer and even then her voice sounded like a strangers.

“I knocked and the door opened. I just needed to use the phone.” She said in one breath. As she inhaled, all she could smell was oil, grease and the sweet smell of cedar. A smell that had never affected her until now.

“So, you figured you’d just help yourself, is that it?”

As his grip tightened, Kat groaned her frustrations into the wood against her face. That deep voice… “Look, my car broke down and I got stuck in the rain. This was the only place close enough. I didn’t mean any harm.”

The man laughed and it sounded very familiar but she couldn’t place it. Maybe if she didn’t have adrenaline pumping through her body. 

“People still shoot people who enter their homes uninvited.”

Kat's eyes widened and she couldn’t help but struggle a little. Not that it did any good, this guy was strong and she was suddenly happy she didn’t mention Ryan. At least if this guy did decide to chop her into little pieces Ryan would lead the police back to her body…parts? 

“Please, I’m sorry alright?” she stopped fighting and leaned against the wall, exhausted. “I just needed a phone.”

The man sighed. “I’m going to let you go but make a move and I have no issue shooting you. Got it?”

She hadn’t felt a gun but that wasn’t something worth being wrong about. “Got it,” she breathed out and he released her so suddenly, she had to brace herself before she fell. The ache in her shoulder was immediate and it took a second before she could turn around. When she did, the only thing she saw was blue. He was standing deep in the shadows so his face was masked but those blue eyes…ones she would never be able to forget, no matter how hard she tried. 

Kat gasped and took a step back until she was pressed against the wall. Those eyes had haunted her for years. They’d taken over years of her life when she was younger, when she wasn’t afraid of him. A few deep breaths and ignoring the warning bells going off in her head, she spoke.

“Max…”

He narrowed his eyebrows. “How do you know me?”

Was he kidding? She touched her face, hoping nothing too extreme had changed. It took 5 seconds and an eye roll for her to realize she was standing in the dark. Kat took a hesitant step forward into the light from the window. His gasp made her smile. 

“Holy shit, Kat?”

“Hey…” she whispered.

They stood staring at each other for ages. Neither moving or speaking, just that shared look of understanding and hesitation. Her heart skipped a beat as he stepped forward, his face no longer hidden in shadow. The guy she once knew, the boy she’d fallen in love with, was gone. Replaced by him; curly blonde hair messed up from his baseball cap tucked inside the back right pocket of grease stained jeans. His beard was ragged and full, almost like a man living in the wild. His eyes stayed the same, bright blue orbs of memories lost and love forgotten. His lips were also the same, soft and that wonderful shade of rose, the bottom thicker, giving him an eternal pout. This Max was the same as her Max, but also very different.  
After the initial shock had worn off, Kat opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the door opening and the clatter of little feet pattering down a hallway.

“Daddy?” the little boy said in a tired voice.

Her mouth dropped open as she looked from Max to the little boy and back again. There was no mistaking this child from someone else, he was the spitting image of his daddy. His DAD…Max was a dad. Something she didn’t expect…not that she’d expected to see him ever again.

“Beaux, I told you to wait outside.” Max said in a calm tone. He stepped to the side and squared his shoulders.

Kat noticed he was blocking her line of sight. Now she could see why he had been so hostile. A man comes home with his son, to realize his house has an intruder. 

The little boy shuffled closer in footed feet pajamas with dinosaurs on them and rubbed his eyes.

“I gotta go to the bafroom dad.” 

Kat tore her eyes away and looked at Max. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t….” She paused, not knowing if apologizing mattered. “I’ll just go.” 

Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest as she turned and went for the back door. She would not cry…she would not cry. Repeating that mantra seemed to help a little. So much history had just slapped her in the face and she was nowhere near equipped to handle those feelings.

“Kat…” Max called lightly. “Just hold on will ya?”

At his request, her feet refused to move any further. She turned enough to see Max scooping up the little boy and carrying him through the dark house. Once she was alone, her mind started to race. Never in a thousand years had she thought she’d lay eyes on him again, let alone in the same damn town where they grew up. How had she not seen him at some point? Heard of him maybe? But she’d heard nothing. She wanted to get to the bottom of this quickly, but she needed to talk to Ryan about what was going on. Kat ducked her head out the back door just as Ryan was approaching the door with a 2X4. Their eyes widened when they saw each other and he tossed the wooden plank aside.

“Jesus tap dancing Christ Kat!” Ryan smacked her on the arm. “You scared the piss outta me!”

The hit she received would have had more effect if it came from a 4 year old. She could only shake her head at him. “Damn, I’m sorry okay? He caught me before I could get to the phone.”

“Oh Lord!! We need to leave before he stuffs us in his creepy basement.”

Kat rolled her eyes once again, something she did frequently around him. “No, we don’t. I know the guy who lives here, or at least I used to.”

“Used to?”

“From a long time ago.” She blocked the memories before they pushed their way to the front of her mind. She pulled Ryan under the little porch and out of the rain. “He told me to hold on but I didn’t tell him about you just in case.”

Ryan glared icily at her. “See…I’m not the only one who was worried. Cabins in the woods are no joke.”

By the way he clenched his jaw and refused to make eye contact, Kat knew he was more irritated than he let out, and with good reason. She took a seat on the steps and sat next to him. The space between her eyes had begun to pound painfully and she applied pressure and hoped for the best. 

“So… this guy?”

Ryan was already on the warpath to truth. Nothing new but now was not the time. Kat leaned her head against his boney shoulder. “I’ll tell you the whole story but not now. It’s hard enough and we are technically homeless.”

He sighed. “Fine, you get a small reprieve now, but I want details later.”

Kat nodded and lightly kissed his shoulder. “Thanks.” She was about to say more when someone cleared their throat loudly and made them both jump apart. Not because of their semi-cuddling, but because their nerves were shot. Max stood behind them with an unreadable look on his face, eyes darting from her to Ryan and back again. 

“Thought you’d left.”

The strong country boy accent he’d always had sent a shiver down her spine. Kat refused to look anywhere other than his eyes as she spoke. “No, sorry I didn’t mention I wasn’t alone.” She peeked at Ryan to see that his jaw was practically touching the floor and he was standing in a puddle of drool as he stared at Max. She could see why… Kat elbowed his side and shot him a “get it together” look. “Max, this is my friend Ryan. Ryan, this is Max.”

She watched Max square his shoulders and his hands ball into fists at his sides. Great…just what she needed. Max had NO reason to feel threatened by Ryan. 

“Uh, nice to meet you?” Ryan asked.

Kat smiled, what a sissy. She noticed right away when Max figured out he had nothing to be jealous over. Just the tone in Ryan’s voice gave away his gayness. As if the bright clothes and clogs didn’t and Max visibly relaxed. 

“Yeah, nice to meet you. I’m Max.” 

Ryan grabbed the hand that was offered. “Ryan.”

Kat hid her smile until she looked up at Max and it slipped slightly. Those eyes stared back at her and they held all the answers she needed. “We didn’t mean to intrude. May we use the phone?”

Max smiled. “I don’t see why not. You were halfway there already.”

He led the way with a motion of his hand and they both stood and followed him inside. Water puddles started at the door and on into the kitchen but Max didn’t seem to mind. He was too busy staring at her to do much of anything else.

“Who are you gonna call?” 

Kat tore her eyes away from Max long enough to answer Ryan as she dialed. “Was gonna call Hannah. She’s the only person who could help us.”

“I think she went on vacay this week Kat.”

He was right. It rang and rang until Hannah’s voice mail kicked on, confirming she was at the beach until the end of the week. Kat put the phone back on the hook and did her best not to slump forward. “She is at the beach…”

“Any other bright ideas?”

Kat huffed at Ryan but she could hear Max chuckle behind her. She turned to see that panty dropping smile of his. When their eyes met, he tried to cover up the smile with his hand. 

“I guess I could call the tow yard. I don’t know if they’ll pick my car up tonight though.”

“They won’t. Teller-Morrow doesn’t pick up after 7 and it’s well past that.”

The clock on the wall read a quarter to 9, it was later than she thought. “A cab maybe?” she asked to the room. Ryan didn’t look too hopeful. In fact, he looked like shit. Eyes dark and bloodshot, shaking from the cold and he only weighed about 15 soaking wet. Just looking at him made her want to cry.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with that Ford that’s been circling my road for the last hour, is it?”

Max's eyes were drawn in, Kat knew he knew it was for them. No reason to lie now. Kat leaned against the wall and nodded. “Yeah, that truck is for us.”

He nodded. “Anything illegal this time Kat?”

Ryan’s mouth dropped open as he looked back and forth between them. Kat just gave him a look and he piped down. “Not everything I so is illegal Max. So no, just….it’s   
complicated.”

“I’m starting to see that.” He mumbled quietly and took off his ball cap to run hands through messy hair. “I doubt a cab is gonna pick you up in this mess. Storms supposed to last all weekend and up here we get flooded in. The hill gets too muddy to do much.”

“Damn it!” Kat cursed and closed her eyes. They would most likely have to hike back into town or sleep in the car. “Well, thanks anyways.” She stood and Ryan followed her. 

Max stood up, surprised. “Where do you think you’re goin?”

“Back to my car I supposed. Maybe when the rain stops we can walk back into town. Shouldn’t be too far.”

Ryan whined. “I can’t hike in these shoes!!”

“Next time don’t wear those for escaping missions.” Kat shot back and immediately bit her lip.

Max grabbed her arm before she could turn away. “One, it’s pissin rain outside. 2, it’s 30 miles into town and 3, you better tell me what’s goin on.”

“Nothin you need to worry about.” Kat shook off his hand and met angry blue eyes. “As soon as we leave, the truck won’t be around anymore.”

“Kat…”

“No Ryan, we can’t just camp out on his porch.”

“I was going to suggest the guest room.” Max chimed in with a smile. “Sound okay til the rain stops?”

Ryan and Kat looked at each other and she could see the absolute “yes” from Ryan, he was nooo help. But what choice did they have? “You sure about that?”

“You two don’t seem to dangerous.” Max smiled. “Or, at least he doesn’t.”

Ryan chuckled and flashed Max his dick-alert smile. “Oh honey, I’m not dangerous at all.”

Kat snorted as Max laughed, turning a cute shade of pink. She hadn’t remembered he could do that before. “We won’t be any trouble. With any luck the rain should die down soon.”

Max nodded and stood to lead the way. “I only have the one bed so I hope sharing isn’t an issue.”

“It’s not ideal…she hogs the covers.” Ryan hissed and walked past them into the room.

 

“Yeah, she does.” Max whispered.

Kat turned red next to a smiling Max. If Ryan heard his comment he didn’t let it show. Now with Ryan gone, it was much more intimate. Just the illusion of privacy made things awkward. His body was so close to hers, so warm and so inviting and not hers anymore. Something she had to remind herself more than once since they’d been here. The silence stretched out for hours it seemed, neither of them wanted to be the first one to break the ice.

“Thank you for being so cool about this. I know it’s a lot to take in for one night.” Kat's heart raced when Max gave that same sweet smile she saw once before on a younger version of him.

“I’ll admit, this wasn’t what I had in mind for my Friday night.” He chuckled nervously. “But I’m not unhappy about it.”

Kat flinched at first until she realized what he said and looked up at him. Even when they were together, Kat avoided his gaze whenever possible. His eyes were entirely too beautiful, she got entranced if she looked too long. Now was no different. She met them for a fraction of a second when her cheeks started to warm. 

“Trust me when I say it’s not what I had planned either, but no, I’m not unhappy about it.”

His eyes twinkled. “No?”

“No. Just a little confused really. I never expected to see you again.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she looked away. They had much to talk about, but now was not the time. He was about to dig in deeper to this conversation and she didn’t know if she was ready for it. “I guess I’ll turn down for the night.”

Max shook his head but had that same smile on his face. “Sure, guess we can talk later. Night, Kat.”

“Night.” She whispered, turning away before she told herself to shut up and sit down with the man that destroyed her idea of love and family. Her nerves were shot, too raw to dive deeper into painful memories. Before shutting the door to the guest room, Kat looked down the hall long enough to see Max disappear into a room down the hallway. Seeing him walk away was just as hard this time as it was the first time. 

“Wow.”

Ryan sat crossed legged on the bed in a pair of pink pajama pants with tiny martini glasses on them, staring at her. Kat shook her head and sat on the edge of the bed. “Wow pretty much sums it up.”

“I’m guessing this is THE Max?”

“The one and only.” 

“He’s hotter than you let on.”

Kat chuckled and kicked off her wet converse. Without responding right away, she dug through her clothes to find she only packed jeans and t-shirts, nothing even resembling pajamas. Groaning, she peeled off her wet jeans and shirt and slung them over the window sill. A t-shirt would have to do for bed as jeans were out. 

“You gonna talk to him?” Ryan asked after a few minutes of silence. 

Kat flopped down on the bed and shut her eyes. “Ry, please give it a rest huh? It’s been a shitty day and I’m worn out. If I have time I’ll talk to him but Jax will be back tomorrow and if we aren’t gone by then he’ll find us.” 

Kat felt the bed dip down behind her as Ryan circled her waist with his arms and hugged her as close as possible. 

“I know, but we will figure this out. Okay?”

Kat gripped his thin arms and felt the first tear quietly roll down her cheek. Without a moments hesitation, without letting on that she was crying, she nodded and let them roll down her face.

Ryan seemed to believe her and within minutes his breathing evened out and Kat knew he was asleep. The entire time she waited for him to fall asleep, the tears kept falling silently. She’d learned how to cry without giving anything away years ago. Kat turned her face into the pillow and bit down hard, muffling the sounds of her tears. Trying to keep her body from shaking was harder than she imagined. To anyone, to Ryan, it would look as though she was shivering and not letting her heart spill out onto the bed


	2. When The Past Knocks...Dont Answer

Dreamscape  
Part 2:

Sleep is necessary. Everyone needs it. It lets your body take a break from working so hard, it lets your mind relax enough to have the strength to take on the next day. That was not going to happen for Kat tonight. Not only was it like a tropical storm outside, she was still chalk full of adrenaline from running away and running into Max after all this time. It was keeping her up long into the night. Eventually the tears had dried up and Ryan had turned around, leaving her feeling cold and very alone.   
The rain continued to beat down against the old roof, the lightning kept the room illuminated and each crack of thunder had her jumping out of her skin. About 3 hours later, Kat sat up and shivered as her bare feet touched the cold floor. Her socks were still too damp to wear so she didn’t bother putting them back on. Ryan was softly snoring beside her, head buried under the blankets…all the blankets. And he called her the hog. Going to sleep wasn’t going to happen until the storm died down and it became harder to ignore her full bladder and empty stomach.

She quietly walked to the door and peeked out. Everything is as it was a few hours ago; dark and quiet. The door at the end of the hall was shut and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was having a hard time sleeping after seeing her like she was. The door across from the guest room was thankfully the bathroom. Kat darted inside quick and used the toilet and washed her hands. The reflection staring back at her looked like her aged about 25 years. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, dark from stress and lack of sleep, she looked 40 and not in her 20’s. Sneering at herself, she quietly walked towards the kitchen. She didn’t like just helping herself to someone else’s things but she was dying of thirst.   
Turning on a light made her think she’d be caught doing something wrong any minute so she left it off and used only the light from outside to navigate her way around his kitchen. Cooking food would be over stepping…even though she was starving. But getting a glass if water, if she could find a glass after opening all but one cabinet didn’t seem too invasive.

With her cold glass of water, Kat leaned against the counter and stared off into space. So many things were running through her mind. Why Max was back, how long he’d been here, when he became a dad and by whom. So many questions, that’s probably what kept her from sleeping. But the questions she had were hard to ask and she knew the truth in his answers might start something she wasn’t ready to deal with.

“Can’t sleep?”

Kat jumped at the sound of his voice and some of the water tipped over and splattered against the floor. She turned slowly, like those dumb girls in horror movies when they know the bad guy is lurking around, no bad guy this time, just Max leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Kat had to blink a few times just to assure herself that she wasn’t dreaming. Max was dressed in a ratty pair of baggy pajama pants, slung entirely too low on his hips. His large chest was bare, arms bulging as he crossed them but there was that sweet, almost shy smile on his lips. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Max said with a smile.

Kat cleared her throat. “It’s okay and no, I can’t sleep.”

He nodded. “Storm keepin you up?”

“Among other things.” Kat stated and tried her best to keep her eyes on his face.

“Yeah, can’t shut off my mind either. Storm isn’t helpin though.”

Kat looked down and sucked in a sharp breath. She only just remembered she was wearing only a t-shirt and her panties. She was blushing as she looked up to see that smile back on his face. He got Kudos for not saying anything. She crossed her legs and fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

“Sorry if I woke you up.”

Max sighed heavily. “Can we not do this, please?”

Kat arched her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“This…” he motioned back and forth between them. “This is already weird enough without trying to be nice to each other and make small talk.”

“I didn’t wake up to talk.” Kat snapped. “I was just thirsty. You’re the one making small talk.”

“Kat…” he sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped. “You’re standing half naked in my kitchen right now, I figured small talk was needed.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop her chuckle. “I’m not the only one who’s half naked.”

Max grinned. “It’s my kitchen.”

“Look, if you want to talk let’s talk. I’m too tired to beat around the damn bush.” 

“Why don’t you tell me who you’re running from.”

Kat looked away and didn’t answer.

“He have anything to do with that black eye?”

“Yes, he does. The shortest answer is he’s my ex. I’m sure you know the rest of the story.”

This is what she didn’t want right now. She wasn’t up for a heart to heart talk with him. Not right now, maybe not ever. It was just too hard.

“Did you call the cops?” 

Kat scuffed and crossed her arms defensively. “Why bother when his daddy is the chief of police. No one is going be believe a girl over his son.”

“His dad is Chief Romero?” 

Kat nodded. “I’ve tried that angle and it was a waste of my time and it always hurt worse after he found out. I got tired of being a punching bag and decided to leave. Until my car   
broke down.”

“Romero is a real piece of work. Can’t imagine his son is any better. But it’s good that you are leaving.”

The sincerity in his voice made her want to cry. This is what she was afraid of. The feelings part of this conversation. “Good…yeah, it didn’t turn out so good.”

“I can look at your car tomorrow and see what’s goin on.”

Kat smiled at him. “Thank you. For everything.”

Max smiled but didn’t reply to that. “I’m sorry if I hurt your arm at all.”

Rolling her arm back, it did sting a little. “It’s not too bad.” Silence stretched out between them for a few minutes before she spoke again. “So, you’re a dad now…”

Kat watched an amazingly proud smile cover his face.

“I am. His name is Beaux, he’s four this year.” Max replied as he walker over to the counter. “Since we are up, how about coffee?”

“Sure.” She said and moved to sit at the chair around the bar. “He’s a cutie by the way, looks just like you did.”

The coffee pot started to percolate as the silence once again took over the room

“Yeah, he’s my little buddy.”

“How long have you been back?”

Max cocked his head. “Like back here back?”

Kat nodded.

He leaned against the counter and rubbed his face. “I’d say about 6 months. Just moved back from Virginia Beach.”

A million questions blasted through her mind but he wasn’t really obligated to answer any of them. It had been nearly 10 years since she saw him and they hadn’t had any contact over that amount of time. Her next question was stuck on the tip if her tongue but she didn’t ask.

“You can ask Kat. I’m an open book.”

He could always read her so well. “His mother?”

Max clenched his jaw. “Met her on deployment. She was a Seal also and we kinda just clicked.”

“Deployment? As in military deployment?” Kat asked surprised. His father had been in the military and when Max was younger his dad was a drill sergeant and he hated it. It was odd to see he followed in his footsteps. 

“Yeah, Navy Seal. Crazy right? I never thought I’d join but after my dad I was a little lost…as you know.” He whispered the last bit.

Kat nodded, she knew all too well. “Well, it’s good you had something to fall back to like that. And did you say his mom ‘was'?” 

He nodded. “After deployment, I realized the only thing we had in common was the military. We drifted apart over the next few months.”

Kat could tell by the way he was holding onto himself that these were painful to talk about. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded slightly. “It happens. We broke up and a few months later she gets discharged for drugs and I lost contact with her. Thought what we had was done with.”  
“Until she came back, pregnant.”

“Yeah. Showed up at my door 7 months pregnant and cracked out of her mind. It was a damn miracle Beaux didn’t have any issues with all the drug use.”

Kat gasped, a hand over her mouth. “Oh God, I’m happy he was spared that.”

“Those last 2 months were hard.” He admitted with a sigh. “I got her into a rehab place and forced her to get clean. The doctors said it was a miracle he was so healthy. After he   
was born, the judge declared she was an unfit mother and I got full custody.”

“Good. He looks healthy.” Kat smiled back at him.

“He is. We moved back here after I finally got honorably discharged. 10 years was long enough for me and I was tired of being gone, being away from him.”

“Yeah, I can only imagine. It’s good you are doing good.” Kat replied lamely. She wasn’t really sure what to say. None of this helped much, not with how she was feeling, how they’d left things between them.

“So, what about you?” Max asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“What about me what?”

“After we graduated and….”

He didn’t even have to say the next sentence. She didn’t want to hear it.

“Yeah, what about it?” Kat snapped again.

Max groaned and shook his head. “Is this really how you want to do this, after all this time? You’re still gonna be mad at me?”

Was he serious? How was she just supposed to forgive him after everything that happened? Did he think he’d be able to say sorry and wipe the slate clean?  
“Fine, you wanna know how I was after you left me? I’ll tell you my story.” She watched him flinch but remain silent. “So I spend my life in this awful town, drunken mother, absent father and I think I’m all alone until I find this one friend. We were friends from elementary school, all the way to high school.”

“Okay, you don’t have to…”

She shook her head, cutting him off. “No, you wanted to know. Those kids were thick as thieves, did and shared everything together. Short stort, she fell in love with him and him with her, or so she thought.”

Kat was talking quickly, hoping to get it all out before the tears fell. And his face right now…he looked distraught. 

“He was her escape from her awful family life. He had that family everyone wanted. Nice big house with a dog and a fence. Loving parents. Everything a kid could ask for.”

“I get it okay…you don’t have to say all this.” He pushed away from the counter so hard it rattled.

“No, I’m just getting to the good part.” She followed close after him, he was going to listen to her side of things. “When her mom died, she didn’t care. She had everything she needed from that boy; a home, family. And just as she felt free, invincible, a tragedy happened.” 

Max stopped pacing and Kat could see the tears running down his face and his jaw locked. “His father died in a car accident when that boy was 18. It destroyed him. He left school, left the girl who loved him more than anything and took off.” 

The tears were falling down her face too quickly to swipe them all away. “He left her alone, broken and empty inside with no one.”

“Kat…” Max hiccupped.

“She dropped out of school but was too old for foster care and not old enough to get a decent job. She was left in the town where she went from everything to nothing and the town blamed her for his absence.”

Her body was shaking and it was her turn to pace, holding onto herself and wishing she never ran to this house. “So, as you might see, I didn’t do so good after that. Jumped from dead end job to dead end job, getting evicted and treated like trash, taken advantage of. I didn’t get a fresh start after that.”

“I’m sorry Kat. I took his death hard and I just couldn’t…”

She knew. His dad was a great man and he was gone. She tried for weeks after his death to help Max but he pushed her away and took off…to join the military apparently. It had to have some impact on him for Max to be doing so well. It didn’t matter that it royally pissed her off.

“I know…” she leaned back against the counter. “I saw what it did to you. But I tried to help and you pushed me away.”

“You say that like I meant to hurt you Kat.” He scuffed. “I tried too and I just couldn’t deal with anything.”

“Just forget it.” Kat dismissed his almost apology. “It’s in the past, might as well keep it that way. It’s good you’re doin good and as you can tell, I’m not.”

“Let me help.” 

Kat wanted to push him away and welcome him back at the same time but she was conflicted. Everything told her this was a bad idea. That their past was too heavy to push past.   
But that hole inside her that has his name branded into it, told her to hear his words and listen to how sorry he was. Despite his actions as a teen, Max was a great guy. Better now because he was a dad. 

“I can’t ask that Max. You have no idea what’s going on.”

“You summed it up just by lookin at me.” He raised his hand to lightly brush the bruise. “No man would ever lay his hands on a woman.”

She gave that watery chuckle. “If it helps, I hit him back.”

Max smiles sadly. “It barely helps. Just please give me a chance.”

Kat stayed still as he stepped closer to her so he was between her spread legs. That internal pull was eating at her to lean near him. To touch him and be touched. But how far   
could it go? They held different lives now, he was a father and she was a fuck up. Why would he want anything to do with her, especially after this? Too much drama. But she didn’t   
move away.

When his rough hands cupped her cheek, she leaned into the touch. Ignoring the screaming inside her brain and the pain in her heart. His eyes were that dark blue color again, they darkened like this when he was angry or when he was aroused. 

“Max…” Kat warned with no heat in her voice.

Max leaned his head down to rest against hers. “I won’t hurt you again Kat. Please just let me help you.”

How could she say no? She was homeless, carless and down to one friend who she was responsible for. “How can you possibly help?”

“I don’t know just yet. When the time comes I’ll know. But you need to trust me.” He rubbed his nose against hers.

“I do trust you.” She replied with no hesitation. Kat knew what he was going to do before she saw. He was leaning in closer, licking over his lips. Pulling away would be the smart thing to do, the safe thing. But when had she ever played it safe? Why start now? As Max leaned closer, Kat closed her eyes and let it happen. 

The kiss was soft, like feathers. If she hadn’t felt his body shudder, she’d have thought it was all a dream. Her eyes opened long enough to see his eyes closed and his face looking both hopeful and a little spooked. One wrong move from her could ruin it all, ruin it for good. She could either push him away, which would be the smart thing, or embrace it and enjoy the kiss. At the feel of his tongue against her lips, the decision was made for her. Her body relaxed into his and she gave in momentarily. 

Kissing him again was everything as it was the first time. Exciting and a little frightening. His lips held so much promise but this was all too quick. Kat let him have one kiss before she pulled back, a hand on his chest and a light push. His soft lips left hers and she missed it in an instant. Her hands were shaking when he grabbed them and she looked into those blue eyes, trying to come up with an excuse.

“You don’t need to say anything.”

Kat nodded and licked her lips. “I feel like I need to.”

He smiled. “You don’t. I know one talk and a kiss won’t change our past or what comes next. I just wanted you to know that I am sorry.”

“I know that, I think I always did.” Kat chuckled and didn’t pull away as his fingers locked with hers. “I think I’ll take you up on the help offer but I don’t want you getting hurt because of it.”

“I won’t. I know how to handle my business now Kat. You’re still important to me and as long as you’ll let me, I’ll help you.”

It wasn’t as good as a kiss, but Kat leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Strong arms circled her waist and held her close. The beating of his heart was so close to hers it was like one beat. Things were bad, they usually were with her but this one hug made her feel like it wouldn’t always feel so awful. A few moments later she pulled back and smiled at his smirk. 

“Not to ruin the moment but we’d better head to bed.”

He nodded as he yawned. “Good idea. Try to get some sleep and the rest we can figure out tomorrow.”

Kat moved away and felt cold as his body no longer touched hers. All 5 years with Jax and he never once made her feel like that hug just had. Max was one of a kind…but she was broken, damaged. She’d ruin him. 

“Thanks. Uh…goodnight I guess.” Kat waved awkwardly as she closed the door.

“Goodnight beautiful.” Max whispered before the door closed.

Maybe it was because the rain let up or because of the talk and hug with Max, sleep didn’t evade her this time. When she laid down, it wrapped around her like a blanket and erased all her worries and doubts…if only for the night.  
**  
Silence is what woke Kat up, the absence of the pounding rain against the roof and the shaking of the house was somewhat comforting. Like if the house could get through a storm like this, than so could she. Kat blinked her eyes open and stretched until her legs burned. She was sprawled in the middle of the bed and Ryan was nearly pushed to the edge with his legs curled up into his stomach. No wonder he never liked to have sleep overs, she was awful. The urge to lay in bed was undeniably strong. Outside meant facing the world…Max and eventually she’d have to face Jax. But in this room, she was safe. Just the sounds of Ryan’s quiet breathing and her own heart beat. But the bathroom called once again.

Getting off the bed without waking Ryan was easy. He was no where near her to be disturbed. Quickly tiptoeing to the bathroom, she used the toilet and put tooth paste on one finger and did her best to clean her teeth. Going back to bed seemed ideal but her problems weren’t going away any time soon. Best way to start the day was with coffee. The kitchen was just as they left it, two cold cups on the counter and a pot of too sad and cold coffee to even contemplate reheating. Fresh it was. While it was brewing rather loudly, it gave her some time to think about last night. Their talk had been decent…nothing too bad except the kiss. One that she dreamt about until morning. Kissing him with a beard was entirely different than a shaved face 18 year old. Not bad actually.

Kat was religiously touching her lips when the beep from the coffee pot made her jump. She shook her head of silly high school thoughts and poured herself a cup. Halfway through the pour, the sound of little feet sounded quietly behind her. What did she do? She had NO practice with children…none. She drank too much and swore like a sailor, none if which would help right now. Kat turned with her brightest smile plastered on her face like a shield. Little man was still dressed in those dinosaur pajamas, a head of blonde hair sticking up all over the place and a stuffed seal tucked under one arm.

“Hi there.” Kat said sweetly. It was odd seeing Max's face on such a young boy but they were almost identical.

“Who are you?” Beaux asked sleepily.

Shit!! “Uh…my name is Kat and I’m an old friend of your daddy’s.”

He rubbed his eyes and yawned. “I saw you last night.”

“I saw you too.” She smiled and took a glance at the clock. It wasn’t even 7 yet. “You always get up so early?”

He nodded. “On Saturday’s my daddy and I make breakfast. But he said he was too tired today.” 

Kat's heart clenched painfully when that little face fell like that. It was her fault Max wouldn’t get up…well shit. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s my fault really. I was talkin with him last night.”

“It’s otay. Just not sleepy anymore.”

A tiny growl came from the boys belly. “My, my. You really are hungry aren’t you?”

He nodded.

“Well, since it’s my fault you don’t get to make breakfast with him, would it be okay if we made breakfast together?” Kat smiled at how his eyes lit up.

“Yes!” Beaux clapped but then looked at her oddly. “But you gots no pants on.”

“Shit!” she cursed before she could stop it and Beaux laughed. “I didn’t have any pajamas.”

“My daddy has some!” Beaux chirped and ran back to the room.

Kat shook her head as he took off without another word. Welp, things had been good until she cursed in front of him with no pants on. The sound of those quick steps made her   
look up to see a pair of pajama pants balled up. 

“Wear these!”

She caught the baggy pants and smiled as she quickly put them on. They were about 5 sizes too big, she had to roll the waist band and the legs just so she didn’t trip. “Better?”

“Better.” Beaux smiled.

“Good to hear. So, what do you two usually make for breakfast?” Kat asked and sipped her luke warm coffee.

“Everything…. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, toast, sausage.” Beaux rattled off.

Wow! For just two guys?” 

He nodded happily.

“Well we’d better get started then huh.” Beaux ran to the fridge and started handing her the milk and eggs, bacon and a pack of sausage. “Do you wanna do the eggs?”  
Beaux nodded.

Kat let him crack all 12 eggs as she put the bacon and sausage on a pan. When it popped, instinct told her to shield him from the hot grease even though she’d never had to do such a thing before. Beaux spilled the bowl of eggs once before she helped him pour them into a hot pan.

“Stir it just like this…” Kat put her hand on his little one and helped him flip the eggs. He laughed and jumped around. 

What she was feeling right now she couldn’t really describe. It wasn’t nostalgia…her parents were too cracked out to make food of any kind. The best she could explain would be   
how calming it was. Beaux was uncomplicated. What he wanted, he told her. No games or tricks. He simply wanted breakfast. Together they carried the plates of food to the table and Kat couldn’t stop smiling.

“Food!” Beaux laughed as he jumped.

Kat dug through the cabinets and found some plates and started piling his full of food. A blush came to her cheeks as she could feel those eyes on her. She looked up to see a   
grinning Max leaning against the wall, and same as last night, he was shirtless, only this time he graced her eyes by only wearing a pair of tight gray boxers. Her mouth dropped open, she was openly staring. 

“Daddy! Look what we made!” Beaux giggled.

“Hey buddy, morning.” Max smiled at his boy. “I see that.”

“Morning. Hope this was okay, he said you two make breakfast on Saturday.” Kat helped Beaux into a chair and poured Max a cup of coffee while avoiding his bare legs.

“Oh did he?” 

Kat nodded and handed him the cup.

“Well, my version of breakfast is cereal.” He looked at Beaux and shook his head.

“Just cereal?” Kat asked and Max nodded. She turned to see Beaux laughing as he piled food into his mouth. “Well then…”

Max accepted the mug and smiled. “Yeah, he got ya. But it looks wonderful. As do my pants…”

Kat grunted and gave Beaux a look. She didn’t realize the pants she was wearing were the ones Max took off for bed. “Little trickster.”

“Don’t worry about it. He’s just happy he gets more than cereal this morning.”

Kat nodded but the blush never left her cheeks. “I need more coffee.” 

“Sleep okay after last night?”

Kat saw the sincerity in his eyes but that kiss left a dash of mischief as well. “I did actually. The quiet woke me this morning.” 

“Hard to sleep with a storm and hard to sleep without one.”

“Exactly.” 

A grumbling Ryan stumbled into the kitchen with crazy hair and his eyes closed. Max was smiling at her and Beaux had his mouth too full with food to laugh.

“Coffee…”

Ryan whined and slammed right into Max. Kat chuckled as Ryan nearly fell whereas Max barely moved from the hit. As Ryan’s eyes opened, his mouth dropped open seeing Max in just his underwear.

“Dear God…” Ryan gasped. “Am I still dreaming?”

Good point. “Nope, that’s very real Ry. But your mouth is dragging against the floor.” Kat turned away and poured Ryan a cup of coffee. 

“Do you always walk around like this?” Ryan took the cup but didn’t look away. “Cuz I might stay a long time if you do.”

Max grinned. “I do sometimes.”

“Dear God….” Ryan fanned his face at Max's smile. “Kat, honey, we are never leaving.”

“Ryan!” Kat giggled and looked from Ryan to Beaux and back again, signaling him to keep it cool.

“Breakfast!” Ryan sang and tore his eyes away away from their host to the food.

Max moved closer to her and flashes of them kissing passed through her mind. “I’m sorry about him. I’d like to say he will stop but he won’t.”

“I don’t mind, really. I kinda like him.” 

“Don’t let him hear you say that…he’ll expect a date.” Kat grinned and watched Ryan make himself at home while eating next to Beaux. “Thank you again for last night.” She said seriously.

Kat forced herself not to react as Max stepped in front of her. Her eyes moved over his naked chest and downwards. The heat from his body was making her shake.

“I hope you’re thanking me because I’m going to help you and not for the kiss.” Max whispered.

“Max…” Kat pleaded and looked up, which was a mistake. His eyes…dark orbs of desire and she was drawn in deeper the longer she looked at him.

He smiled. “Hmm, which is it?”

Just as she was about to answer, someone pounded heavily on the door and she jumped. Her eyes moved to Ryan who also looked spooked. No one else would be here so early, except Jax. 

“Kat, Ryan, step into the hallway and stay there. Beaux, just keep eating.”

“Otay daddy…”

Kat heard that deep authority in his voice and knew not to argue this time. He was serious. It didn’t matter that it was 8 o’clock and he was half naked, he was battle ready in an instant. She moved passed Max and held Ryan’s hand as they stood in the hallway. From there, she could see Max walking to the door, but not the door itself. Jax wouldn’t be able to see them.

The door opened and they held their breath…

“Good morning, may I help you?” Max asked.

Kat had to shake her head at the good-ole-boy accent he used. Like he didn’t have a care in the world. But it was a lie. It took her a moment to notice that one hand was behind his back gripping a gun. Where on earth did that come from? She hadn’t seen him grab a gun… Her eyes widened and Ryan squeezed her hand.

“Yes sir you can. My girlfriends car is parked in front of your driveway.”

Kat gagged at the sound of his voice.

“Sorry man, don’t know anything about that. It’s still early and I haven’t been out yet.”

“Mind if I look around anyways?”

“Actually I do. This is private property and my son is here. Take my word for it guy…no one is here.”

Kat smiled, she knew Jax would hate that he was told no. Hate it and get angry over it.

“You know who I am right?”

Max nodded and gripped the gun. “I do. You’re the Chief’s son.”

“Good, so we have an understanding.”

“Actually we don’t. Unless that daddy of yours has a warrant to search my home, you ain’t comin in here.” 

Ryan’s eyes were also wide… the last time Kat talked back, he Jax gave her a black eye. 

“I know she’s here. This is the only place close enough from where she left her car.”

“Even if she was here, which she ain’t, no way I’d send her out to see you. I don’t give a damn who your daddy is or who you think you are. This is my place so you’d better get back in that shitty ass Ford and drive away.”

Kat knew Jax was pissed. She couldn’t see him but she knew. No one had ever talked to him like Max had just done. Max, however, seemed calm. At ease and confident Jax wasn’t   
coming inside.

“If I catch her here with you…if you’re fuckin her, I’ll kill both of ya.” Jax sneered.

“Daddy…” Beaux asked in a quiet voice.

He was scared, even she could see it. She could also see Max moving the gun to his side, keeping it from Beaux's line of sight.

“Walk away daddy’s boy, before I make you.” Max gripped the gun tightly.

“That gun don’t scare me. I’ll be back and she’ll be leaving with me.”

The door slammed closed but she couldn’t move. Not even Ryan tugging at her made her move. The gun was no longer in Max's hand but she’d missed something. Where had the gun gone? How long had he been standing there for?

Is she okay?” Max asked.

“I don’t think so.” Ryan said back. “She has really bad anxiety because of him and panic attacks.”

Kat could see them taking but couldn’t make out the words. Now Ryan was leading Beaux away and she was left alone with Max.

“Kat…can you hear me?”

She could only nod.

“He’s gone, okay?”

She nodded again. He left…he couldn’t hurt her… Then why couldn’t she move?

Max cupped her face so she was looking into his eyes, their heads pressed together.

“Just breathe for me baby…just breathe.” Max coached.

Kat started at his eyes and did as he did. Soon she was taking deep breaths and the urge to hide wasn’t so overwhelming anymore. It took awhile, but she was finally able to talk. “I’m sorry…”

“None of that…” he smoothed her hair back. “I told you I was going to help you.”

“You don’t know what he’s capable of Max.”

He rubbed her bruised cheek. “Yes I do. He’s a piece of shit who beats women to feel powerful. He uses his fists to get what he wants.”

“And he usually does…” she sobbed as tears fell down her face.

“He uses his fists…I’ll use a gun.”

Kat should have been scared by that…but she wasn’t. That look in his eyes, she couldn’t describe it right away… “Dangerous.”


End file.
